Now that spring is on the way, I am planning to trim my trees and will need the limbs picked up. How do I arrange to have the limbs picked up by the city?

Tree limbs are picked up on a quarterly schedule throughout the year. The city is divided into four areas. Each area gets visited four times a year for three weeks per cycle.

Before cutting your limbs, please check the collection schedule available on the city's website. Visit the city website for a map of your residential area and then consult the quarterly collection schedule to find out when city crews will be in your area picking up limbs. This will help prevent residents from having large bundles of limbs sitting out on their curb for extended amounts of time, which is unlawful according to city code.

If you are in cycle, meaning the trucks are scheduled to be in your area, you can call and schedule up to 6 cubic yards of brush (4 feet by 4 feet by 10 feet - about the dimensions of a large picnic table) for collection. This collection is at no additional cost and included as part of your monthly water bill, and residents are allowed four limb/brush pickups per year.

For those in need of additional limb collection or if you missed your quarterly pickup, extra charges will apply when your area is out of cycle or there is more than 6 cubic yards placed out for collection. Items measuring up to 6 cubic yards (4 feet by 4 feet by 10 feet) will incur a $1.50 per minute fee. If you request more than four limb and brush pickups during the year, you will be charged a $20 service fee plus a $1.50 per minute fee.

In 2013, the city code was amended with some changes regarding brush and bulky item pickup. The city code states that brush and bulky items should not be placed by the curb more than 48 hours before the scheduled collection time.

It is prohibited to leave brush and limbs by the curb outside of your designated pickup schedule or without first making a collection appointment. Those not abiding by the city code will be subject to fees. As part of the Ordinance No. 2-13-1, the city's code enforcement office will "tag" brush and limbs left at the curb for multiple days. Residents will receive a letter giving them seven days to remove or discard the items. If the items are not removed, the city's solid waste department will pick up the items, and residents will incur a service fee of $20, plus $1.50 per minute and an administrative fee of $137 on their next water bill.

The city will collect up to three bundles of securely tied landscape brush (tree trimmings, hedge clippings and similar material) on each regular trash collection days. The bundles must be less than 4 feet long, less than 2 feet in diameter and less than 50 pounds. If they will fit, you can also place twigs and yard waste in old trash cans or brown paper lawn bags out by the curb, and they will be picked up on the same day as your regular trash pickup.

If you have questions or need assistance, please call our solid waste department at 361-485-3220 or the environmental services department at 361-485-3230.

Do you have a question about the city of Victoria? Please submit your questions and comments about any city department to Jennifer Sourdellia in the Communications/Public Information Office by emailing jsourdellia@victoriatx.org or mail to P.O. Box 1758, Victoria, TX 77902.